Wild Man from Borneo offers the first comprehensive history of the
human-orangutan encounter. Arguably the most humanlike of all the
great apes, particularly in intelligence and behavior, the
orangutan has been cherished, used, and abused ever since it was
first brought to the attention of Europeans in the seventeenth
century. The red ape has engaged the interest of scientists,
philosophers, artists, and the public at large in a bewildering
array of guises that have by no means been exclusively zoological
or ecological. One reason for such a long-term engagement with a
being found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra is that, like
its fellow great apes, the orangutan stands on that most
uncomfortable dividing line between human and animal, existing, for
us, on what has been called "the dangerous edge of the garden of
nature." Beginning with the scientific discovery of the red ape
more than three hundred years ago, this work goes on to examine the
ways in which its human attributes have been both recognized and
denied in science, philosophy, travel literature, popular science,
literature, theatre, museums, and film. The authors offer a
provocative analysis of the origin of the name "orangutan," trace
how the ape has been recruited to arguments on topics as diverse as
slavery and rape, and outline the history of attempts to save the
animal from extinction. Today, while human populations increase
exponentially, that of the orangutan is in dangerous decline. The
remaining "wild men of Borneo" are under increasing threat from
mining interests, logging, human population expansion, and the
widespread destruction of forests. The authors hope that this
history will, by adding to our knowledge of this fascinating being,
assist in some small way in their preservation.
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